It never occurred to me that a small gift to Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, aka the Yarn Harlot, would make my email inbox almost explode!

Thanks to all of you who have written to me asking about the mittens.

GOOD NEWS FOR ENGLISH SPEAKING MITTEN KNITTERS:
I have just learned that there are now instructions in English available for these mittens. If you want to make them but were doubting your linguistic abilities - you can now knit Finnish, in English!

I bought the red Finnish mitten kit three years ago in Finland and the kits are still being made by the manufacturer Pirkanmaan Kotityö Oy. If you would like to order a mitten kit, go to the webshop of the Finnish handicraft shop Taito.

The name of the mitten is KUKKASADE (roughly flower-shower) and it was designed by a well-known Finnish knitwear designer, Sirkka Könönen. The mitten is currently available in two colorways; the Harlot's red and a very dark grey where the pattern colors are blue, lilac, tuquoise and four shades of green. The cost for the kit is around 30 euros plus shipping (August 2007).

Good luck and happy knitting! (And if you finish a pair, I'd love to see a photo).

Best, Susanna